Comparison of computational algorithms for simulating an electrospray plume with a n-body approach.

In order to better evaluate the trade-offs between different simulation options for an electrospray thruster plume, we have developed a multi-scale n-body code to compute the evolution of a single emitter electrospray plume in the pure ionic regime. The electrostatic force computations in the simulation are captured through the use of three different computational algorithms with various degrees of approximation. The results of the simulations for a simple test case are compared in terms of computational speed and accuracy. The test case utilizes a single operating point (323nA) for a stable meniscus solution for the ionic liquid EMI-BF4 firing in the positive pure ion mode. Complex species and probabilistic fragmentation processes are neglected. An overview is provided of the trade-off between accuracy and computational speed for the three algorithms in the context of simulating the electrostatic interactions between particles. For a large number of particles, the faster algorithms show a significant reduction in computational time while maintaining a high level of accuracy with a proper choice of tuning parameters.

Electrohydrodynamics of an ionic liquid meniscus during evaporation of ions in a regime of high electric field.

Numerical investigations are presented for an ionic liquid meniscus undergoing evaporation of ions in a regime of high electric field. A detailed model is developed to simulate the behavior of a stationary meniscus attached to a liquid feed system. The latter serves as a proxy for commonly utilized electrospray emitters such as needles and capillary tubes. Two solution families are identified for prototype liquid analogous to the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMI-BF4). The first belongs to a regime of low electric field in which the meniscus is blunt and does not emit charge. The second belongs to a regime of high electric field in which a conelike meniscus produces charge from a sharp tip. Electrohydrodynamic features of the meniscus in this regime are presented. These reveal that the meniscus is Stokesian and hydrostatic and governed by conduction. The applied electric field influences both the shape of the meniscus and the current that it produces while the impedance of the feed system-which must be above a threshold value in order to ensure that the current, and therefore the flow, remains below a maximum value-influences the meniscus current but not the macroscopic shape. In general, this shape deviates from Taylor's idealized cone.